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Event: Of Blood and Honor Part 8
One more added, but this hasn't received the edit/re-write treatment yet. Consider this a rough draft. Of Blood and Honor Part 8: Revelations On the planet Celcor, in the Outer Rim, in a dark tower removed from the hustle and bustle of the busy starports, a meeting between two individuals was taking place. In the upper most reaches of a tower sat two individuals, one male and one female. The male was covered from head to toe in the draping crimson cloak that he always wore. It obscured all of his features save for his build and height. His female companion was a pale, scarred, lithe human. Her dark-circled eyes were shot through with red while her pupils and irises were black as night. “There is a great disturbance in the Force.” Rhakyhl said, the man hidden by his robes. “I have felt it as well, my master. What is it?” Asked the female. Rhakyhl’s companion and apprentice, Lestra Blaize shifted her white gown to spread out evenly across the floor around her. “The son of Vader has set foot onto the path of the Jedi. He has nearly crossed paths with the brother of Reaper. They nearly met, not long ago, in the attempted trap set by the Dark Lord of the Sith. Vader is seeking Skywalker out, even now, as we speak. The one we know as Strykia has also stepped onto a new path. The Force is shifting, re-aligning. My vision shall come to pass.” “But you said that the Strykia twins would not join the Jedi Order that Skywalker would build. Has that changed, my master?” Lestra asked. She cocked her head quizzically at her master, eagerly awaiting his response. “No. Their path still lies outside of the Emperor’s concern. Skywalker will destroy the Sith. At least he will think that he has when the time comes. There will always be Sith. We will live on as long as the Jedi live on. Our dance is destined to go forever. We are but one more way for the Force to maintain a balance.” Rhakyhl’s voice took on a ghostly tremble when he spoke of the destinies he saw. “Shall I alert the Emperor to this development?” “No, lovely my companion. The Force has not compelled me to divulge this to Darth Sidious. Strykia and his sister must survive, even if it means the end of us. I live in the will of the Force. There, my destiny has been set. Sidious believes he can be the master of the Force, drive it into the shapes he desires. I see one of his many ends.” “The Sith have never given over to surrender.” “I do not, either. I will fight until my last breath and the traitor’s blade impales me. But it is our destiny.” A small holo sprang to life between the pair, a small green-skinned alien with wispy hair and long pointed ears sat in meditation, while beside him a human male sat and watched the wizened creature. Dressed in the plain brown robes of the Jedi, Master Yoda sat with eyes closed, serene and at peace. :“Clouded, the Force has become. Difficult to see what ahead there is. In the temple, there will be no Strykia twins. But Jedi, they will be. Seven new Jedi, there will be. But part of the Order they are not. A great darkness from far away they will face.” “Even after their last visit to the Jedi, the foolish Jedi looked for ways to grasp onto the twins. They sought them because it would bring more prestige, all under a noble pretense. There is more to the Force then fame for deeds and accomplishments. There is knowledge and understanding within the Force. There must always be balance.” “We've talked about this before, but you speak of the Jedi’s vision for the Strykia’s?” Lextra watched the holo fade and looked at her master. Although she couldn’t see his eyes, she knew he was looking at her. The chill from his gaze was welcoming to her. It enthralled her. “Even now, as we speak, my companion, outsiders have awoken a threat greater than we know. Strykia has found his way to becoming a Jedi and with that will come the threat to us. Verkiak is waiting in the Force to be reborn while her daughter becomes something greater than she imagined. Once they unite, we are done and their path is set. Even the meager Imperium that will rise from our ashes will not withstand the onslaught that the Shadowblade and Evenstar will face. The legendary lost ones won’t survive, either. But somehow these Strykia’s will.” “Our Ashes? You sound resigned to death and defeat. Is your belief not that the Sith will prevail?” Lextra became serious as she spoke. “The Sith Order and those that followed sought power. We always have. We were noble once long ago. We took what we wanted, when we wanted. It was our downfall. We always seek more power than we have. Darth Bane made it very plain that we must plan and scheme. We must be patient in order to have our plans come to fruition. I am Old Sith in my beliefs. I know that I thirst for power. And I have power. But my purpose is to guide events that will secure the galaxy, and in turn the future for the Sith. I leave conquest to the future generations. That is why I wait and scheme to see the Strykia Force-users succeed.” “Are they all from the Strykia blood?” “No. They are not. But a Jedi Master said ‘a Jedi, but not a Jedi’ once, years before now. A Strykia, but not born a Strykia, I see. Three are, four are not.” “You speak of the Desmora Prophecy. This prophecy has Lady Harkness and the Dark Lord very concerned. I believe it is what has caused so many resources to be used to hunt down Dontaine Strykia. If he falls, then it is a matter of time before the rest of it comes true.” “My companion… I am familiar with it. More so than you. I know that the ‘Blade’ and ‘Katana’ will strike down the ‘black sword’. The Strykia twins will triumph over the darkness that took their father from them. But Palpatine fears that it means they will come after him next. Fear makes him impulsive. It will give him strength. But he needs to worry about the Skywalker prophecy more so. Anakin Skywalker with bring balance to the Force. The Strykia twins and their new brood will face a darkness that we will not. There is a growing darkness outside of our knowing. The outsiders that relate to Zonama Sekot have made contact with this darkness. Now, this darkness is growing. Growing and beginning to search out the galaxy for a sign that the galaxy deserves to live.” “Deserves to live? Who are these people you speak of?” “There are two, yet both are void to the Force. I can not see them, except for glimpses through other’s eyes. One revels in life and scorns all we have come to be. The other holds true to the way the Force was meant to be. Unified. They are as the Sith, the true Sith, should have been. The ghosts of Dromund Kaas still tell me that if they find their way here, everything that the Sith or the Jedi ever worked for will end.” “What sign do they seek?” “A song. This is what the legend of the Jenn says. They have been in the galaxy as long as anyone else and the Celestials were right to keep them locked away. The Rakata and the Nex’ti could never have contained them. They are singularly driven with a purpose to cleanse or make clean. They are a weapon that was made to do what they are going to do.” “The Celestials made them? Why? Unless they were meant to clear the way for a new plan.” Lextra looked up as if searching for unseen entities. “No. The spirit of Darth Kryus spoke that they were left unchecked and have strayed from the original purpose. Their original design. The Jedi spirit of Rhagar concurs with his brother on this. These others are different in the Force. Perhaps they were meant to teach us, originally. Perhaps their way in the Force is the way the Force was meant to be.” “Unified… Without Light or Dark.” “Yes, my companion. Our emotions and morals rule the path we take. An evil being is still capable of using the Force in the same way as the Jedi. But that person may also use the Force for evil deeds and selfish pursuits. The Jedi way is the opposite. They shun using the Force in the same way. The Dark side comes from within a person, not from the Force. It is the same with the Light side.” Rhakyhl paused as he stood up. Walking to his high backed chair, he sat, obviously gazing at something unseen to Lextra. “Our dark corruption comes from within us. If, like the Force, a person finds the true balance, they will be a being of pure Force.” ---- The Shadowport of Mon Gazza was it’s usual hustle and bustle of spacers and merchants, illegal goods and wanted individuals thick in this criminal hideaway. In the Mad Bantha, a dingy bar located near the landing fields, Graydon and CJ sat at a back with the individuals that had called them here. The bar was dark and the crowd minded their own business, pretty much ignoring the four occupants at the table. “Tuno cawa Da’neechi. Bou syi tu, cawa sel’stir. Dichie ohn malei’ko, u’go Strykia.” The Salarian male said, sitting across from CJ. “Hold on! What’d he say?” Graydon said as his eyes flared with a brighter than normal glow. “Um, I think he said something about your mother. Might not have been good either.” CJ responded. “Blu’cho dun kept’lo, myg, nig nig.” As the Salarian said this, Graydon slid his chair back, quickly reaching across the table to grab the alien by the collar of his flight suit. Another hand shot out, grabbing Graydon’s wrist in an attempt to slow the young Jinsai down. “That wasn’t an insult, Jedi. Stand down.” Selene S’tal said with a stern voice, attempting to keep her partner from harm. She’d noticed the cylinder device hanging on Graydon’s belt. It was one of the ways she’d been able to identify him. “He said he knows where your mother is, or at least where she was.” “Doosh!” The Salarian added, nodding his head. “Dichie ohn malei’ko.” The nervousness in his voice was very evident as his eyes moved from Selene to Graydon quickly. Graydon didn’t let go, but shifted his focus from the alien to Selene who was still holding his wrist. CJ was starting to get nervous too. “What else did he say?” Graydon’s eyes were locked on to Selene’s, never wavering. “Before you thought you were insulted, he said that the ‘Blaze’ lady had told him that you had to go to your sister and that where she was would also be where your other sister would be.” Selene held his gaze. “I only have one sister.” “I’m just translating.” “This smells like a heap of bantha crap.” CJ added in. “What do we stand to gain? The Empire wiped my friends out and captured one of my closest friends. You two are the best hope I have for springing him out right now. Especially after what you did to those pirates in the Outer Rim. It’s no secret among the fringe that Morgan and Strykia, along with their friends, have a weird luck about getting into and back out of hot water, usually for the better too.” Selene let go of Graydon’s wrist, bringing her other hand up onto the table, letting go of her blaster still in the holster. “You stand to gain a lot of credits for turning him in.” CJ responded, her focus turning from the Salarian to Selene. “I think a Strykia is worth more than a minor mercenary from the Rim.” “Look, you can take it or leave it. This is a short-term contract with extras thrown in. We do this jailbreak and get a couple rebel officers that are being transported with my friend. They’re a couple of Corellian defectors from CorSec. Then, you pick up a cargo and deliver them to these coordinates. After that, you can either go your separate ways or stay on and help out.” Selene maintained a calm demeanor as she laid out the plans, pointing to the datapad in the middle of the table. “This is the primary job that Rieekan contracted out.” “Nessa, you get all that?” “Copy. Holo-Bob got a good look at the Salarian. Matched it with our last bounty downloads. He’s wanted for destruction of Imperial Property. Good bet this is all legit.” Came the voice of Neesa Carré over CJ’s open comlink. “The coordinates show somewhere in the Anoat Sector. Seems that my last report-in with Alliance Command mentioned something about resources being diverted there.” “Might I remind you and Master Graydon that according to our last intelligence report from the Inner Rim Territories, he, Master Graydon, has returned to Antrixies. The Empire will be looking for him there. They will not suspect him to be operating in the fringe on the Outer Rim.” Came the voice of T-3R1, the former High Lady’s protocol droid over the comm also. “Right.” CJ leaned back, looking to Selene and then to Graydon. “I need a vacation away from hitting supply convoys. I say we do it.” “We’ve done harder jobs than a jailbreak. What about my sister?” Graydon asked as he let go of the Salarian and sat back down. “You said something about going to her.” “Yhama Duhl here,” Selene responded, motioning to the Salarian, “says that a black-eyed lady with Imperial contacts gave him information about Lady Katana and the Nova Wolves hitting a big target, on the edge of the Mid/Outer Rim. She told him that both of Artur’s daughters would be there.” “Uh-huh… Possible that your dad has a bastard or two like mine?” CJ directed to Graydon. “No.” Graydon responded, giving a stern look to CJ. “It would be impossible to hide a mistress from a Force-sensitive wife.” “Good point.” CJ tried to give him a cute smile to diffuse her comment. It didn’t work one hundred percent, but Graydon’s eyes weren’t glowing as intensely. “Is there a chance that your mom remarried? Maybe had another child?” “I wouldn’t think so. This may be an elaborate Imperial setup to get Katana and me in the same spot. They appear to want us pretty bad if they're willing to expend resources like they have.” Graydon responded. “Either way, I need to get a hold of her and tell her about this.” “Okay then. First we spring your Wookiee friend and the rebels, then we go out to the middle of nowhere to drop them off, we get paid, then we go see Allyson. Sounds simple.” “And whenever you say that, it isn’t.” Graydon commented. “It better be. Rena will skin me if you don’t come back in one piece.” ---- Asha and Jova moved through the bushes, silently approaching the two individuals they’d been tracking for the past day. Asha glanced to her left, noting that her Dire Wolven, Artax, was paralleling them through the underbrush. Almost as if the Wolven heard her thoughts, it glanced back, slightly raising it’s ears. “One male, one female.” Jova whispered. “Both Antrixian.” “Yes, but are they the ones we think they are?” “Not sure yet. I don’t know why they’d come to this backwater world, but after the Imperial attack, I’d want to hide away from everyone too.” The pair, Asha and Jova, had been tracking the pair across the Outer Rim for nearly a month. The S-thread tracker they had hidden on the transport had called them to this remote world, near Hutt space. The pair had tracked their targets across the world to ancient ruins, which had an older bulk freighter parked near it. They quietly watched as two males and two females appeared from behind the freighter, approaching the pair. The new arrivals looked very out of place on this remote world and seemed surprised to see the original pair. The female Antrixian slowly walked out of their view, disappearing behind the freighter. “Hmm. This is interesting.” Jova whispered. “Who are the others?” “Unexpected risks.” Asha whispered in response. “I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this.” After watching for a few minutes, the female Antrixian had not reappeared. Both Asha and Jova were getting nervous. Asha glanced other to where Artax had been. The Wolven was gone. Her nerves were starting to get the best of her. About that time, she heard the Dire Wolven behind her, panting. Both Asha and Jova slowly turned to look behind them. Standing serenely next to the Dire Wolven was the Antrixian female they had been tracking. The cowl of her cloak was drawn up, obscuring most of her features in shadows. The woman gently reached over and gave Artax a friendly scratch behind his pointed ears. The Wolven responded by nuzzling against the woman. “My son and daughter both had Dire Wolven as pets when they were growing up.” The woman said. “It takes a determined individual to befriend a strong-spirited animal like the Dire Wolven. Only a native of Landris could know how to do this.” ---- (Tie-in content: Refer to Paid in Blood for previous events in this section.) The first thing Danara noticed upon her approach towards the ancient, stone temple was the presence to two ships landed in the clearing near it. One was a large freighter that appeared to have been there for some time, given that the surrounding jungle had started to overtake it in places. The other ship was a smaller shuttle-type craft. It appeared that it hadn’t been there long. A quick sensor scan showed absolutely no power coming from either ship. Danara’s emotions ranged from curious to furious as she examined the scene. Trudaa was a place that was virtually unknown. There shouldn’t be anyone there. Now, she would have to investigate. Setting down on the opposite side of the temple, Danara and Tylee disembarked from the blastboat, cautiously scanning the grounds surrounding the temple, looking for any threats. Danara kept her right hand at her side, ready to draw her lightsaber at a moment’s notice. Tylee had produced a blaster and was similarly scanning their surroundings. Without saying a word, Danara began walking towards the ancient stone temple at a brisk pace with Tylee bringing up the rear. Danara studied the temple that she had called home, once before, when she was a different person, in a different time. As Becca Gellar, she had lived here with Master Owen Verkaik, Zachary Verkaik, and Anna for a time. Danara focused on the upper levels of the temple, imagining a young Anna running and jumping on the stairs. The mother in her still felt the trepidation of watching her daughter, afraid that she would fall on those steep steps and injure herself. Danara had to smile to herself. Anna had always been fearless when it came to that. She proved many times over that she could keep herself safe, merely by using the Force to assist her if she started to fall. That was a rarity though. Danara let herself be distracted with her thoughts of her daughter and the past. It wasn’t until the baby kicked within her womb that Danara focused on the present. It was unusual for the baby to give such a strong movement in her belly. As the child had developed, there were more movements, but this kick had been strong. Using the Force to see into her own being, Danara found nothing of concern, except for her unborn child being restless. What could produce such a strong response in the baby? Was it the spirit of the Sith witch here? Danara sensed no surges within the Dark side. “My Lady.” Tylee said from behind her. “On the stairs.” Her hand maiden’s comment brought Danara’s focus onto a lone figure sitting on the lower stairs of the temple. How the person had gotten there unnoticed was a mystery. Dressed in a cloak and hood, Danara strained to make out any details of the stranger. Probing into the Force gave Danara a shutter, though. There was a strong Light side presence there now. It had to be coming from the stranger. The stranger was draped in a hooded cloak, masking her appearance. Danara knew she had to be wary. Masking herself in the Force, Danara continued forward. ---- Marissa watched as the two females began to walk cautiously now. The first one, the tall female with dark hair, held an air of determination in her strides while the second one seemed to be more cautious. Remaining calm, yet at the ready, Marissa patiently waited where she was sitting. The two new arrivals were a mystery to her, but as always, she was prepared for multiple outcomes, should they pose a threat. Therryn was safely watching from a hiding place around the corner, using a new meditative technique to hide himself in the Force. While not an actual Force technique, Marissa had studied and developed it so a person could diminish their presence in the Force. It helped her nephew as he traveled with her. There were the other two newcomers also. Asha and Jova were with Mr. Bishop and his group, a safe distance away from Marissa and Therryn. The young Antrixian and Zeltron girls claimed to be operatives of Draygan and Edric. If that was true, then Marissa had been found and had to start moving her plans forward again. There were so many questions that needed answers, but only time and the Force would reveal them. This new situation, with the two new females, had to be dealt with first. The lead female drew closer and Marissa could make out the curve in her stomach, showing that she was pregnant. Now, Marissa could make out her features more clearly through her Force-sight. She was an exotic beauty that held some air of familiarity, but Marissa couldn’t recall ever meeting her before. The other female was a young Antrixian. Within the young girl, Marissa could sense an innate Force presence that wasn’t unlike something she had encountered before. But it had been many years ago and Marissa wasn’t sure what it was that the girl possessed. Danara stopped well short of the base of the temple, warily watching Marissa. All three women seemed to be sizing each other up. Marissa remained passive and calm, allowing the lead female, Danara, to make the first move. Something wasn’t right here, though. The female’s presence in the Force was very muted, with only the presence of her unborn child shining brightly. “I didn’t know that anyone had ever found this place.” Danara started, attempting to draw Marissa into forced introductions. “It was by pure happenstance that I arrived here. I was thinking the same thing, given the state of these ruins.” Marissa replied. “There are a series of ruins scattered all over the planet, mostly native in nature. But there are a couple of structures that aren’t native.” Danara responded back. She was dropping into her Lana Zem persona as a cover to her true identity. “As always, the inhabitants of the galaxy have spread out into the stars. Some planets were forgotten, while others remain to still be discovered or rediscovered.” Marissa said in return. “Are you a student of history or any of the like?” Danara asked. “No.” Marissa responded. “Just merely a traveler in this galaxy.” It was more of a perception than one of Marissa’s senses. She looked at Danara through the Force, even though the Inquisitor was hidden in the Force from her. In what she could see of the younger woman, Marissa sensed residuals of her son, especially in the strong Force presence that her unborn grandson radiated. It was almost like the Strykia blood was singing to her. And as with all mothers and their unborn infants, Danara shared in the blood that Graydon and she had created. “Dear girl, you are heavy with child.” Marissa said, almost too casually. “Is it safe for you to be traveling out here, in the middle of nowhere?” “My needs are being met.” Danara answered coolly. “I’m not worried about this birth. It’s not my first.” “It’s not?” Marissa asked. “Then you know how dear our children are to us, from one mother to another.” “I do.” “What brings you out here?” Another question from Marissa. “I had friends… I had family that came here, once, long ago.” Just saying that made Danara flash through a myriad of emotions and thoughts. “I… My father was a man of history and archeology. I dabble in it from time to time.” “Well then, I won’t stand in your way. My companion and I are just passing through and will be leaving soon.” Marissa stood and moved down the steps to the grass. “You are free to join us for a quick meal, if you choose.” “Perhaps when we’re done.” “I would like that.” Marissa responded. As Marissa walked away, she sensed more through the Force that started to answer some of her questions. How the rest of this day continued was up to her. She needed to let the Force guide events down the right path. ---- Danara and Tylee watched as the cloaked stranger walked away from them. Danara had to let out a long breath in an attempt to relax. She had been tensed through the whole exchange with the strange woman. To make things worse, the baby had been quite active during their conversation. Nothing had ever caused such a reaction in the unborn child before. Once the woman was out of view, Danara started to ascend the steps. She was reminiscent of walking these steps before when she was pregnant with Anna. But her thoughts lingered on the strange woman she had just met. The strong presence in the Force alerted her to the possibility of the woman being a fugitive Jedi, one of the last remaining in the galaxy. But there were subtle differences in her, also. Her thoughts were far from focused by the time she reached the top of the temple. Looking around, Danara decided that she needed to gain control of herself and focus on why she had come here. Her thoughts began to become focused once she worked on an old breathing exercise that Master Verkaik had taught her long ago. Reaching through the Force, Danara knew where to probe to find the release mechanism that opened the chamber to the lower levels. Descending the stairs, Danara found the first inner chamber much the same way that she remembered it… Except for the obvious footprints in the dust that had accumulated. The prints were far from fresh, each having a layer of their own dust. That disturbed her. That meant someone else had been here. Journeying into the temples inner chambers further, she soon came across the decaying bodies of what was left of two Dark hounds, the corrupted Dark side predators that sometimes guarded Sith Temples. Examining the prints in the dust around them, Danara found a wide variety of boot and shoe prints, all varying in size. The ones that intrigued her the most were the small footprints. Those could have come from a young child. Moving on from the corpses, she began to search the other rooms of the temple. In the room that Anna used to stay in, she found more prints, along with more clues that someone had been there. Next to the small, child-like footprints, she found two sets of small animal prints also. She’d seen those tracks before. Codo and Podo, Anna’s pets here at the temple. Danara quickly went to the scattered belongings left in the room from when her family had fled Trudaa. She knew that Anna had left the Holocube that contained images of Becca, Zachary, and Anna in it. Anna had briefly cried over having to leave it here when they fled to Draven. It was gone. Danara felt her hopes soar with this discovery. There was hope that Anna was still alive and that her daughter had come back to Trudaa recently. Along that train of thought came the realization that Graydon Strykia had confronted her with too much information about her past upon their last meeting on Zamora. Was it possible that Anna was with Graydon? If she was, how had she come to be in his company? Tylee entered the room cautiously behind Danara, illuminating the interior with her glowrod. Danara hadn’t even realized that she had been using the Force to enhance her sight until Tylee had entered. She quickly straightened and tried to resume her usual mask of calm. “Something is amiss here.” Tylee spoke, looking around the room. “I sense shifts in this place, my Lady. It’s almost like this place is a focal point to my vision of you that I saw on our first meeting.” “It very well could be.” Danara responded. “Do you see more?” “No.” Tylee responded. “What I did see seems to be very fragmented.” “Interesting.” Danara looked about. “Remind me to do a thorough search of the Imperial Database before we return to Antrixies.” “Yes, my Lady.” ---- (More forthcoming) Continue Reading Category:Events